Woodworkers have long used man-made and natural stones for sharpening or honing woodworking and other tools. Natural stones such as Arkansas stone and man-made stones, often referred to as India stones, typically have been used in the western hemisphere in combination with oil. The oil lubricates the stone and holds the abraded particles of the stone in suspension, both of which aid in the sharpening process.
Although the oil is usually applied to the surface of the stone just prior to use, an apparatus for holding three oil stones simultaneously has been available for some time. This apparatus mounts three oil stones on a rotatable spindle suspended above a reservoir of oil. Rotating the spindle simultaneously submerses two stones in the oil while the third stone is held in position for use. However, the apparatus will allow use of only one oil stone at a time, requiring the woodworker to frequently rotate the spindle to expose the proper oil stone and will not permit simultaneous contact of all three stones with the oil.
More recently, stones of a type widely used in Japan that use water as a lubricant have become popular in the West. These water stones, most of which are man-made, are softer than oil stones, wear more quickly, and require relatively frequent trueing or lapping to remain flat. The abraded particles of such water stones, however, form a cutting slurry which makes it possible to sharpen a tool more quickly than by using a comparable oil stone. This advantage has resulted in the increasing popularity of water stones.
All but the finest grit of such water stones are used by soaking the stones in water prior to use so that they absorb water into their relatively porous structure. This absorbed water then migrates to the stone's surface when the stone is removed from the water during use. In addition to the need to soak these stones in water, they also must be held firmly in place while in use. Some manufacturers have mounted their stones on wood bases in order to help hold them securely during use. However, these wood bases tend to degrade from their constant exposure to water, and even when such bases remain sound, there modest size and mass provide a relatively unstable support for the stone.
North American woodworkers have enthusiastically embraced the use of "Japanese" water stones, typically adding a water-filled plastic dish pan or bucket in which to store such stones to their already cluttered workshops. Woodworkers have found the use of water stones, however, to be messy, typically resulting in water being dripped across the workbench when the stones are removed from the dish pan or bucket and positioned for use. Furthermore, unsatisfactory and often unstable mounting schemes for the stones during use are frequently made to substitute for a more satisfactory arrangement.
These problems have apparently never impeded the practice of woodworking in the Japanese tradition, where the prevailing aesthetic calls for a minimum number of very basic (albeit highly-refined) tools, and much of the work is done on the floor. However, more gadget-enthralled western woodworkers have suffered for their conversion to water stones, often splattering their workbenches with dirty water at tool sharpening time or maintaining a muddy mess in the workshop corner where the stones are stored and used.
Furthermore, because sharpening stones are generally kept in the workshop, which is typically a dusty environment, it is generally desirable to place a cover or lid over the storage means in order to keep debris out, and prevent evaporation of the storage water. The typical solution to this problem has been to fashion a lid of wood or cardboard and place it over the dish pan or bucket.
Accordingly, one objective of the present invention is to provide a device that stores sharpening stones immersed in water and that will also securely and neatly hold the sharpening stones out of the water during use.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide a device that stores sharpening stones immersed in water and suspended above any sludge that may accumulate in the bottom of the storage container.
A further objective of the present invention is to provide a lid or cover to prevent contamination and evaporation of the water within the storage container.
Another objective is the provision of a readily accessible, true lapping surface for use in flattening worn stones.
A further objective of the present invention is to provide a true lapping surface with a readily replaceable abrasive material so as to maintain the lapping surface in a true and flat condition.
These and other objectives of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description and claims which follow.